UNIMA-ARMENIA Armenian National Center of the International Union of Puppeteers
UNIMA-Armenia is an NGO created in 1992. The main activities of UNIMA-Armenia include puppetry, creation of puppet theaters, and promotion of education, democracy issues, psychotherapy, children’s and human rights through puppet art.
UNIMA-Armenia is a branch of UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionette), a non-governmental organization affiliated to UNESCO and bringing together people from around the world. The Organization’s aim is to contribute to the development of puppetry with the objective of putting this art into Services and pursuit of human values like peace, tolerance and mutual understanding regardless of race, political and religious convictions and differences in culture, in accordance with the principles of fundamental human rights as defined in the international documents on Human Rights.
UNIMA-Armenia has vast experience in joint Projects with Armenian governmental and non-governmental organizations, the US, Russian, French, Italian and other Embassies in Armenia, UNDP, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA, Council of Europe, OSIAFA, USAID, UNIFEM, ICRC, WHO, ALL ARMENIAN FUND, AMAA, Jinishian Memorial Foundation, “Save the Children” organization, etc. Numerous guest tours were made throughout Armenia and abroad.
UNIMA-Armenia participated in a number of international puppet festivals or guest-toured in Spain, Hungary, Italy, Russia, Australia, France, Lebanon and elsewhere. It established an international puppet festival “Toumanian Fairy-Tale Day” annually held from September 5 to 11 in the Dsegh village of Lori region.
UNIMA-Armenia has its own puppet theatre called “Karapet” which produces multilingual puppet shows for the audiences in homeland and abroad.